


Everybody Rock Your Body

by erbby17



Category: Free!
Genre: BSB - Freeform, Backstreet Boys - Freeform, Camp Horror, Campy, Campy Horror, Gen, Halloween, Ship Teasing, Style Five, spoopy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2015-11-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 08:58:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5157860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erbby17/pseuds/erbby17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Style Five's back, alright!!</p><p>On the way to a gig on a stormy night, the Pop Group find themselves at the mercy and hospitality of a creepy mansion. But what lurks inside might not be as terrifying as what happens to anyone who stays inside its walls.</p><p>I wanted to see the Style Five boys dressed as the Backstreet Boys from the "Everybody" video, so I decided to write this. A belated Halloween fic since I didn't finish it in time, OOPS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everybody Rock Your Body

**Author's Note:**

> Happy (belated) Halloween! I've been obsessing over the Backstreet Boys recently for the first time since my childhood and I decided I really wanted the Style Five boys done up like BSB in their "Everybody" video (hence the title). I hope you enjoy! This is really goofy and campy and while there is no shipping in this fic, there is plenty of ship-teasing.
> 
> (Excuse the musical theatre references, I got a little carried away.)

Makoto shut his eyes tight, the low rumble of the thunder outside shaking his body to its core. The bumps in the road didn’t help his nerves and the van seemed to hit the big ones whenever lightning struck, the bright flash still visible through his closed lids.

“Dammit,” Rin groaned from the seat in front of him.

“She’s still not answering?” Haru spoke from beside Rin, his voice calm and gentle even in the most torrential of storms. It was enough to soothe Makoto momentarily, but the next crack of thunder raised his anxiety to the next level.

“I can’t even tell if it’s because the service in the area! My phone keeps flashing on and off,” Rin groaned, slamming his back against the seat. “Why didn’t we call Gou sooner?! We’ll never make it to this gig!”

The van revved competitively against the storm. “Oh, we’ll make it,” Nagisa said from the driver’s seat, his voice laced with the sort of dangerous excitement that only made Mako’s knuckles grow whiter in his balled up fists. 

“Nagisa, be careful,” Rei said in a wavering tone from the front of the van. “Don’t do anything Gorou-san wouldn’t do.”

Nagisa scoffed and the van accelerated across the bumpy, dirt road. “Please, Gorou-chan’s driving is terrible! We’re always late with him. Good thing he’s sick today, because now we’ll get there with so much time to spare. We might actually get to rehearse a few songs!” Nagisa’s confidence only made the knot in Makoto’s stomach grow tighter.

“Not if we have no idea where this gig is! I can’t believe Gou never gave us all the details,” Rin said through gritted teeth, his patience thinning.

Everything about this trip was turning into a disaster and Makoto just wanted to go home, gig or no gig. From their driver getting sick to communication with their manager completely cut off, he had spent enough of his energy of the day worrying. The added bonus of the violent storm made everything worse.

“Makoto,” Haru said, and for the first time in minutes, Makoto chanced to open an eye. “It’s okay,” he said, reaching back to pat Mako’s arm.

Laughing off his nerves and swallowing hard, Makoto leaned back in his seat, forcing a usual bright smile. “Sorry, the storm is just giving me a little anxiety,” he said, glancing out at the trees thrashing in the storm.

“This whole trip is giving me anxiety,” Rin groaned, pressing all the buttons on his phone until it flashed brightly one last time. “I guarantee this gig has been cancelled, and now we’ll never even know.”

“Yeah, but at least we’ll get there quickly,” Nagisa said, slamming down on the accelerator, making the van groan.

Rei tried to reach for the wheel but Nagisa slapped his hand out of the way. “Nagisa, wait! We’re almost out of gas!”

“What?!” Rin nearly jumped out of his seat, leaning over Nagisa to get a look at the fuel gauge on the dashboard. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he yelled, slamming back down on his seat. “Out of gas, in the middle of nowhere, during a storm. It’s like a set up or something!”

A crack of lightning ripped through the sky and illuminated the woods. Haru quickly turned his head and peered out the window, pointing towards a hill in the distance. “Wait, there’s a building or something,” he said, and with another flash of lightning paired with a reverberating clap of thunder, all of them spotted the looming silhouette of a mansion on the hill.

“Maybe they have fuel,” Rei said, though doubt filled his voice, his nose twitching up with uncertainty.

“Or a working phone,” said Rin, giving up and tossing his phone behind him.

It landed beside Mako’s feet, its screen black and dead. But the moment Nagisa turned the wheel up towards the hill, the phone flashed once more; and although he couldn’t make out what it said, it only made Makoto’s stomach turn even more.

They arrived at the top of the hill in what seemed like a split second, but Makoto didn’t think Nagisa’s driving had anything to do with it.

Rei studied the mansion through the foggy windows, wiping the condensation off with his sleeve. “We’re…here?”

The five of them exchanged uneasy glances as Nagisa turned off the ignition. “At least it should be dry in there,” he said, opening the door and gunning it for the front of the house.

“Is he serious?!” Rin groaned, grabbing his own bag and throwing up his hood.

“Don’t worry, Rin, I’ll grab his stuff,” Rei said, adjusting his glasses with a smirk and grabbing the two duffle bags at his feet.

“It’s not that I’m worried about,” Rin said under his breath before darting out into the storm. Rei quickly followed.

Makoto stared at the gloomy manor through the streaks of water zigzagging across the windows of the van. He took in a deep breath and held his duffle bag in his lap, clutching it tight to his chest.

“Hey,” Haru said, reaching out a slender hand. “You can stay in the room next to mine, okay?”

Haru’s small smile gave Makoto the courage to get out of his seat. “Thanks, Haru,” he said, taking his hand. The two of them darted out into the storm and met the others under the shelter of the porch.

“The rain’s not so bad,” Nagisa said with a smile, his clothes completely drenched.

“Yeah, there’s almost a freaking drought going on out here!!”

“Rin,” Haru said, putting a firm hand on Rin’s sopping wet shoulder.

Rei studied the door, scanning everyone with a raised brow. “Should we knock?”

“I think we should just go in,” Nagisa said and before the others could protest, he pushed open the door to reveal an elegant foyer. Two grand staircases led to the upper floors, framing a set of carved double doors at their base. Beneath each staircase was a corridor, deep and lit only by candlelight. A grand chandelier hung suspended above the center of the floor, shimmering light against the thousands of shards of crystal, coated delicately in cobwebs.

“Whoa,” Rin said, stepping inside, his eyes transfixed on the intricate designs on the walls.

The front doors boomed closed after they all had entered. Makoto stared back, frozen; he had been the last one in.

“Let’s explore!!!” Nagisa ran down one of the corridors, kicking off his shoes and tossing his wet jacket into the air which nearly landed on a set of candlesticks.

“Nagisa, wait,” Rei yelled, following Nagisa with half the speed and twice the load as he tried to carry both of their bags.

Rin laughed, the first smile he gave since his phone started giving him problems earlier. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on those two. You two get some rest,” he said, patting Makoto on the shoulder. “You need it.”

With a gentle squeeze at his shoulder, Rin turned around and took off after the other two. Makoto was thankful for the support and glanced up the stairwells. 

“Come on,” Haru said, taking the lead. 

Makoto looked back at the door, remembering how it closed on its own. He whined softly and followed Haru up the one stairwell. At the landing, the house looked less like an impressive manor and more like an abandoned nightmare. The long, dark corridor on the second floor had no light, and closer inspection of the walls revealed peeling pain and rotten wallpaper. 

Haru seemed to be unfazed, following the corridor and checking each door that he passed. After shaking a few doorknobs, one door budged. “A bedroom, that’s good,” he said, peering in. The next door he tried gave way and he looked back and smiled at Makoto. “I’ll stay in this one. If you need me at all, just knock, okay?”

Makoto held out a hand but Haru’s door shut and the sound echoed eerily in the hallway. Makoto’s lip quivered, his shoulders hunched from the dampness of his clothes and the fear of the house. He looked into his room, the first door that had opened. He shivered at the breeze let in by the open window, when he noticed the storm outside had ebbed. He ran over to the window and stared at the night sky, bewildered by the calm. One single cloud hung in the dark sky and Makoto was transfixed. He couldn’t move his eyes from the scene, and stared more intently as the cloud started to part and revealed the full moon at its wake.

The light illuminated the room and covered Makoto’s entire body. Suddenly, his heart gave a thump, nearly tearing out of his chest. His body jolted with an unknown charge, surging through his veins. His jaw, tight, fought to unhinge and from deep within, Makoto let out a foreign howl that shook the dust from every surface in the room.

Makoto’s clothing, still damp from the storm, clung tighter to his body, but not from the damp. A rushing wind ran over his flesh, his fingers and toes curling. He howled once more and fell to the ground on all fours, panting. His eyes darted around the room and he spotted a broken mirror. Rushing towards it, he yelped at his reflection, if what he was looking for were actually a mirror. A hideous hairy sight glowered back at him, but when Makoto cried in fear, so did the creature. 

“What…” He looked at his hands, now paws, with thick, long claws and fur poking out from under his wet and tattered shirt. “What’s happening?!”

Makoto broke through the door and out into the hallway. Heaving, he pushed open the door next to his room and was welcomed by silence. 

“Haru?” The room was empty, lit up only by the dull light of the candles hanging on the wall. Thick drapes covered the windows, shutting out any outside light, and between them stood an upright coffin. A shiver ran down Mako’s spine, the absence of Haru only causing him more fright. “Haru, you’re not…in there, are you?”

At the sound of his voice, the front of the coffin slid open, revealing a sleeping Haru, peculiarly dressed with his arms set across his chest.

Makoto took in a shuddering breath, making Haru’s vibrant blue eyes flashed open. After a moment of still eye contact, Haru smiled and crept out of the coffin. 

“H-haru!! Makoto fell back, landing hard on the floor, the room to shuddering from the impact.

Haru didn’t speak, but edged closer, and as his smile grew, it revealed two sharp fangs that gleamed in the dim light of the candles. “Keep still,” he hissed in a high tone, unlike Haru’s normal voice. He knelt down and leaning in towards Makoto’s neck, his smooth fangs gently gliding along the flesh on Makoto’s neck.

In any other situation, Makoto would have obeyed, unable to move, but a spark made his body jolt up and leave the room, slamming the door behind him. He rushed out of the hallway, trying to keep as much distance from himself and the creature resembling Haru, but his surroundings grew less familiar as he continued. The grand staircases disappeared, leaving several maze like corridors in their place. Makoto ran wild, hoping any place would lead him to either an exit or his other band mates. With a sigh of relief, he found two large doors and threw them open. 

He gasped, unsure of what room this could have been. He found himself at the edge of a small balcony. Several more hung on the curved walls around him and below the crumbling mezzanine, the floor was littered with chairs, torn apart and tossed around. He glanced to his side and saw what looked to be a stage, upon which was an enormous organ. The sight of a brilliant shock of red hair of the person at the organ eased Makoto’s heart.

“Rin,” he cried out, waving his arms high above his head. “Rin, up here!!”

But Rin didn’t budge; in fact, the call of his name caused the very air around Makoto to thicken. In that instant, he regretted his decision; whatever happened to Rin was infinitely worse than Haru’s fate.

“Why,” Rin’s voice echoed throughout the theatre. “Why do you stand in a private booth without a ticket?!!?”

Makoto didn’t see the knife, he only felt it fly past his face and only heard it slam into the wall behind him. Rin had turned from the organ, revealing a bright white mask covered half of his face, but what the mask was hiding scared Makoto more; the flesh at the edges Rin’s mask was raw and red, scarred and deformed.

“Rin, what happened to you?”

“Get out of that booth!” Rin screamed, leaping off the stage into the air. He ran into the air, almost gliding towards Makoto’s balcony, his furious expression growing.

Again, Makoto’s instincts took hold and he followed Rin’s instructions, pushing through the double doors and not daring to look back. He ran through the corridor, completely changed from before, and found a set of stairs that led down into the brightest patch of light he had seen all night. “Nagisa? Rei?!” He called their names but heard no response as he turned the corner to run down the stairs that led far more than two flights down.

When he reached the end, he found what he assumed to be the basement corridor, its stone walls cold. Smoke filled the corridors, seeping out from an archway, from which a pale green light was flickering.

Taking in a deep breath, Makoto hoped to find Nagisa or Rei, praying they wouldn’t be changed like Haru and Rin. He inched closer to the archway and peered into the vast room, its walls lined with bottles of weird colored liquids. Someone was hunched over the giant lab table in the middle of the room, the source of the glowing green light in the person’s possession. The person stood up and turned to reveal Rei, looking quite normal aside from his formal get-up, complete with a top hat.

“Rei?” Makoto slid carefully into the room.

“Ah, Makoto, just in time,” Rei said, holding a vile of vibrant green liquid. “You’re just in time to witness my latest experiment. Please, do take notes.” He threw the green liquid to the back of his throat and within seconds, his body hunched over and convulsed before he stood back up revealing yet another horror to Makoto.

His eyes were wide and bloodshot, his flesh green and almost molten, and Rei’s toothy smile matched the madness in his eyes. “A visitor! How kind of you to drop in!”

Once again, Makoto took off down the hall, avoiding pulsating light or smoke or an attractive set of double doors. He ran until Rei’s laughter could no longer be heard following him down the hall. Makoto turned into a room and was hit with the scent of rotting flesh. To his horror, the stench was met with Nagisa, wrapped up tightly in bandages.

“Oh no, Nagisa,” Makoto whimpered, bemoaning the fate of his now mummified friend.

In an instant, Nagisa’s head jerked in Makoto’s direction, a deep moan escaping his lips. His bones creaked beneath the wrappings and he began to creep towards Makoto, his footsteps echoing through the cellar room.

The mummified Nagisa inched closer to Makoto, the loosened bandages dripping with blood and bile and grime. His moaning rattled through the room, and his once bright eyes were glossy and white. In the short time the group had spent at the house, Makoto’s friends had transformed into monsters. 

Makoto almost lost his voice, but his feet were miraculously still moving. “Nagisa, please, it’s me,” he choked out hoarsely. Don’t…don’t you recognize me?! Please, Nagisa…”

The mummy inched closer, his moans accompanied with a stench that slammed into the back of Makoto’s throat. As Makoto backed up against the wall, his eyes caught the sliver of moonlight leaking into the cellar from a high, small window, but it only cast Nagisa in a more terrifying light

Makoto whimpered and let out roaring cry, the moon casting his silhouette against the walls of the cellar. “NAGISA!!!”

The mummy’s body snapped upright and Nagisa shook his head. The glimmer had returned to his eyes and Nagisa, still bandaged and dripping, had returned. “Mako-chan?” His eyes slanted in confusion and continued to approach Makoto. “Why are you so fluffy?”

Makoto laughed, tears in his eyes. “You…you’re back!”

“I’m back? What do you mean,” Nagisa laughed, but one look down at his body and he wailed louder than Makoto could howl. “What…what happened?!”

Makoto cautiously approached Nagisa and tried his best to keep his stomach calm as he witnessed one of his bandaged fingers fall to the floor. “I don’t know, this house is like a maze. I found the others, but they’re…”

“The others? What’s wrong with them?!” Nagisa didn’t seem to notice the random appendages falling off his body; his eyes only painted a story of concern.

Makoto swallowed, unable to piece together the events of his evening so far. “Well, I thought Rei was fine at first, but…”

“What happened to Rei?! Where is he!?”

Makoto turned his head towards the archway and both of them jumped at the sound of Rei’s laughter, booming maniacally down the hall.

“Oh no, Rei-chan!!” Nagisa eyes flooded with tears.

“Don’t worry, Nagisa,” Makoto said, patting his friend’s back with a shaking hand. Together, they slipped out of the cellar room and tiptoed down the hall, Nagisa tripping over his feet as a toe or two decayed off his foot. Rei’s laughter seemed to follow them and their steps quickened.

Turning a corner, they gasped and yelled upon bumping into a dark figure. Makoto’s heart nearly leapt from his chest, but the high-pitched squeal coming from the figure made him curious. He squinted in the darkness of the hall and saw two big, honey brown eyes. 

“Who…?”

“I’m so sorry!!” The witch before them bowed her head incessantly, her body shaking beneath her black cloak.

Nagisa turned to Makoto. “Um,” he started to say.

The witch pulled off her hood, revealing a sweet, round face and a warm smile. “Welcome,” she said, although her face scrunched with guilt. “This is…my house…”

“What?!” Makoto and Nagisa yelled in unison, which only caused the petite witch to shiver at their voices.

“I’m sorry,” she said again, her eyes shut tight. “You see, my name is Miho and, well…”

Nagisa stared down the witch, eager to hear her story. “What’s going on here!? Why are we changed like this?”

Miho shivered but gather her strength to stand up, dusting the dirt from her skirt. “Well, I get a little lonely, living in such a big house so far away. The road at the bottom of the hill doesn’t see too many drivers anymore, but I’ll still get a few visitors. But still,” she said, sighing. “

“Still what?” Makoto leaned in, sympathetic to the witch’s dilemma. Her eyes were growing wet.

“Well, I’ve placed a little spell on the house,” she said, her voice only grew quieter as her story continues. “And now everyone who visits gets a little…surprise.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

She sighed and stood up as straight as she could, her hands determined fists at her side. “You see, I’ve been living in this house for centuries and I’ve had many guests back in the day. But it’s been years, and I miss my old friends, so…every room in this house is cursed by the spirits of the inhabitants who stayed here years ago.”

“Cursed?” Makoto stared down at his hands, now a pair of beastly paws. He had never considered the existence of curses, he merely thought they were an invention of fiction. But here he stood with Nagisa, both proof of the existence of such things, and in the presence of the witch responsible. 

“So does that mean there’s a way to break it?” Nagisa said, eyes wide with hope.

Miho smiled and nodded. “Of course! Now that both of you have had your mental states returned, I can easily fix your physical states.”

Makoto sighed and for the first time all night felt the tightness in his chest loosen. “That’s great. Then you can help the rest of us, too, right?”

Miho froze, he wide eyes staring almost into oblivion. “The rest of you?”

“Yeah, there are five of us here. We’re a pop group, Style Five? We were on our way to a gig when we ran out of gas.”

Makoto blushed at Nagisa’s little bit of self-promotion. “Our three other members also got cursed.”

“Oh, well,” Miho’s voice shook and she twisted the hems of her skirts in her hands. “I can only fix everyone’s physical states if every one returns to their mental selves first. Otherwise, I can’t help any of you…”

“What?!?”

“What kind of witch are you?!” Nagisa rounded on Miho but she squealed and backed up.

“I know, I’m so sorry, I’m terrible with casting these things,” she said and then her eyes flashed open, a sudden smile on her face. “Oh! But if you tell me what curses your friends have, I can help think of ways to bring them back!”

“Really?”

“Haru,” Makoto started immediately. “I found Haru first, in the room next to mine. His room was dark and he was sleeping in an upright coffin. He grew fangs, too, and nearly attacked me.”

“Oh,” Miho said, trying to hide a shy smile. “That’s the count. Very charming. His can be a little tough, but generally the curse breaks at the first taste of blood.”

Makoto blushed, remembering how close he could have been to break Haru’s curse. He remembered how cold Haru’s breath was, breaking the barrier of his wolf-like coat; the thought of it made his stomach flutter restlessly. “And then there was Rin…”

Rei’s laugh rang through the stone corridor once more, causing Nagisa to shiver.

“Rei,” Makoto cried, looking down the hall towards the direction of the laugh. “Rei was fine at first! I found him in a lab, but then he drank this liquid and transformed!”

“Oh, that’s Dr. Jekyll,” Miho said, but the next ring of laughter made her wince. “Or rather, Mr. Hyde now. I can’t think of a good way to break his curse. He’s a man of science so generally my magic doesn’t work too well on him.”

“Well it better,” Nagisa said, backing down the hall. “Because he’s here!! Oh no, Rei-chan!!!”

Rei turned the corner, smacking a cane against the wall to send a vibrant boom down everyone’s spines. “Come, my test subjects, you’re next…”

“This is bad!!” Makoto said, realizing their hallway had lead to a dead end. “What happened?”

“He must have triggered a trick wall or something,” Miho said, her back against the concrete. “No, Mr. Hyde, remember? I’m not really good with science!”

“Ah, Miss Amakata,” Rei’s voice rang, resonating down the hall. “As beautiful as always, but I was referring to your strange friends of the evening. So much to do with a beast and a corpse, so much!!”

Makoto swallowed hard, hoping it would help his body remember how to breathe. 

“Rei-chan, stop this! It’s us, remember? Nagisa and Mako-chan!!!”

Rei’s low laugh rumbled, Mr. Hyde still in control.

“That won’t work, Nagisa!”

Nagisa groaned and with Rei just a few footsteps away, his cane waving dangerously towards them, Nagisa closed the space between them and met Rei’s face with his lips. Almost instantly, his slimy, green skin faded and his eyes shook in his skull.

“N-nagisa, what are you…?!?”

“You did it!!!” Miho jumped in the air and clapped her hands. 

“Rei-chan,” Nagisa cried, wrapping his arms tightly around Rei’s neck.

“What’s going on, why are you two like this?” Rei was shaking and his cheeks were bright red. He looked between Makoto and Nagisa before he pushed Nagisa from his body, his nose perking up in disgust. “Nagisa, what happened to you? You smell awful!!”

“I’m a mummy, duh,” Nagisa said, clearly offended.

“And not a well preserved one, either,” Miho interjected.

Rei winced and peered around his friends, spotting Miho. “Who’s this?”

“Miho,” Makoto said. “She’s a witch who lives here in this house. We’ve all been cursed and she’s going to help all of us.”

“All of us? Wait, where’s Haruka and Rin?”

“Still cursed,” Makoto said in a sigh.

Miho’s face brightened, and she turned back to Makoto. “That’s right, you told me about your friend Haru, but what about Rin? Do you remember his curse?”

Makoto shuddered and reached for his cheek, remembering the dangerous encounter from earlier. “Yeah, he was in a theatre,” he started, and immediately Miho’s face dropped.

“Excuse me,” she said softly, her eyes growing wide.

“Um, he was in a theatre?” Makoto didn’t like the look on Miho’s face as he continued. “He was playing an organ, and it looked like his face was badly burned or something, but I couldn’t tell, he was wearing a mask…”

“The Phantom,” she whispered, her eyes to the floor. “Oh no, this is bad.”

“What’s so bad about Rin-chan’s curse?” Nagisa looked to everyone, unsure of the turn of events.

“The Phantom,” Miho started, her hands at her hems once more. “He’s the original owner of this house, back when it was an opera house. But he’s a tough one, he murdered many in these walls.” She swallowed hard and looked back to Makoto. “His will be the hardest curse to break. By far.”

Makoto whined, the sour feeling in his stomach returning. 

“How long do we have? Maybe that will help us figure out a way to bring Rin back,” Rei said.

“Sunrise,” Miho said. “But that’s how long you have until I can return you all to your normal bodies. You need to revert back to your mental selves first.”

“Well, we’re not helping Rin-chan and Haru-chan by staying down here,” Nagisa said, a sudden strike of bravery hitting him. “Let’s get out of this cellar, it’s starting to smell.”

“Nagisa, that’s you,” Rei said, holding back his breath.

The group followed the corridor’s winding halls until they found a staircase. Quickly, they ran up various flights, out of breath, before they arrived at the foyer from earlier in the night. Makoto looked around, finding themselves coming out of one of the downstairs corridors. “Is this…?”

“Yes,” Miho said, slowly making her way towards the double doors between the stairs. “This was the theatre’s lobby, years ago.” She put her hand up against the door and looked back at her guests. “Are you sure about breaking this curse first? The Count is much easier…”

“N-no, this should be fine,” Makoto said, his cheeks pink.

Miho raised her hand to her mouth and giggled before pushing open the doors. 

The sight before them was different revealed a dark hall, the walls covered in deep red velvet with candles eerily casting shadows around them. A ticket booth protruded from the walls, iron bars rusted and falling to the floor. Eventually, the light grew brighter and they were led into the main level of the theatre, the stage directly in front of them. Rin remained at the organ, his hands slamming down on the keys and the notes shaking the walls. Along with the raucous sounds of the notes, Makoto heard a twinkling sound in the air. He glanced up, curving his neck to see around the mezzanine, and spotted a chandelier grander than the one in the foyer.

“Wow,” he said, his whisper lingering in the air.

The music stopped and Rin turned, his face garish. “No one is allowed in here!”

Makoto backed up, his paws held up in front of his face. “But I’m not in the balcony anymore!”

“There’s no show tonight! It was canceled! Leave!!”

“Rin-chan, it’s us, can’t you tell?” Nagisa stepped forward but shrieked when a knife flew past his face and caught the end of his bandages, pinning him to the wall.

“Erik, stop this!”

Rin turned his head, his eyes wide. “You,” he growled, and jumped from the stage. “How dare you show your face here, in my theatre!”

“It’s not yours anymore, Erik, this is my house!!” Miho stood her ground. Different from before, she stood tall and ready to take on the Phantom.

“What’s going on?” Rei leaned in to Makoto, observing the curious exchange.

Makoto shrugged, watching Miho step closer to Rin. 

“Ha,” Rin laughed, his voice echoing within the thousands of crystal shards suspended in the air. “The Opera will always be mine, even in death. No one shall have it.” Rin lowered his gaze and his expression grew wild. “I’ll make sure of it,” he said, his voice cold and deep.

He jumped back onto the stage and disappeared behind the curtains.

“Miho, what was that about?”

She sighed and stepped back, keeping her eyes up on the chandelier. “I thought if I started referring to him by his name it would help your friend. Oh well, it was worth a try, just watch out for…”

Makoto instantly grabbed Miho and pulled her out of the way, the heightened senses of the werewolf kicking in. The grand chandelier dropped, sending thousands of pieces of crystal flying into the air. Rin laughed from backstage, the organ continuing its dirge without his help.

“He’s gonna kill us!” Nagisa screamed but couldn’t move far with this bandages clinging to the wall. Rei was at his side, trying to release the knife, but to no avail.

“That’s the plan,” Rin said, returning from backstage. “I hoped that would have caught one of you, but alas…”

A door creaked open and caught everyone’s attention. Up on one of the balconies, Haru emerged from behind the doors. He glanced down at Rin who returned his gaze with a sneer.

“You,” Rin growled, his high from before crashing.

“As theatrical as ever,” Haru said with a smirk, the spirit of the Count in full control. He leapt from the balcony and landed gracefully at the edge of the stage, his cape flowing around him. “It’s good for the blood, you know, your rage.”

“You are not welcome here,” Rin screamed, tripping over his feet as he backed away.

“This is odd,” Miho whispered, watching the scene from the comfort of Makoto’s hold. “I’ve never known these two to interact before.”

Haru stood up straight and bared his teeth, laughing softly beneath his words. “Yes, good, get your blood nice and hot.”

Rin continued to back up before he fell hard onto the surface of the stage. “Get…away…”

Smirking, Haru came down upon Rin, his fangs gliding over skin.

“HARU, WHAT THE HELL?! GET OFF ME!!”

Rei gasped, a smile growing on his lips. “He’s back?!”

Haru slowly moved back, his face expressionless. “Rin?” He tilted his head, his brows furrowing in concern. “What happened to your face?”

“They’re both back,” Makoto yelled, his heartbeat slowing down.

The two on the stage looked over at the others, Haru’s face unchanging and Rin’s completely red.

“Oh, good!” Miho jumped up, clapping excitedly. “Now I can help you all get back to normal!”

“What?” Rin looked around, his chest rising and falling dramatically. “What’s going on? Who’s that? What…”

“We were cursed, Rin,” Makoto said, walking towards the stage, careful of the shards of chandelier on the floor. “And yours got a little dangerous.”

“Makoto? What happened to your…”

Rei finally released the knife sticking Nagisa to the wall and the two of them crowded the stage as well. “Rin-chan’s back, yay!!”

Rin immediately covered his nose at the stench of Nagisa but his hands froze at the touch of the mask and his scarred face. “What…what happened to my face?!”

“If you just calm down,” Miho said, joining the group at the stage, “I can help you all revert back to your physical selves.”

Makoto smiled and reached out to Rin. “She’s a witch, she can help us,” he said, watching the confusion fill Rin’s face.

“Okay,” Haru said, jumping off the stage.

“Great,” Miho said under a giggle. “Follow me!”

After regaining some composure, Rin joined Makoto in the back of the group, following Miho out of the theatre and through winding corridors. His hand gripped at his chest, his breathing ragged.

“Was I really that bad?” Rin kept his head down, watching Makoto’s feet while they walked.

Makoto smiled and patted Rin’s shoulder. “It wasn’t you, Rin, don’t worry.”

Taking in a solid breath, Rin’s shoulders heaved. He smiled softly and nodded. “Right. Thanks.”

Eventually, they walked into a brightly colored room, a large black cauldron set in the center of the floor.

“Alright boys,” Miho said, gathering her guests around the cauldron. “Give me a few minutes to prepare the potion. You don’t have to do anything but stand over the cauldron, just as you are now.”

They all nodded and Miho ran around the room, bringing over liquids and batches of things to the cauldron and dumping it all in. Smoke started to billow over the edges and with more and more items being added, the larger the smoke grew. Soon, the entire room was filled. 

Makoto started to cough, as well as the others, his lungs full of the sweet yet strong smoke. Doubled over, he couldn’t tell what was happening until a sizzling sound caused the smoke to disappear instantly. With one last cough, he looked out to his band mates, each of them back to their normal selves. He smiled when he looked down and saw hands instead of paws.

“Thank you,” Nagisa cried, jumping onto Miho with such force, the pair nearly fell into the cauldron.

“Of course,” she said, peeling him from her body. “Is there anything else I can do after troubling you all tonight?”

“Well, our van ran out of gas,” Haru said.

“Oh, that’s easy,” she said, waving her hand. She walked out of the room, leading the group down another series of winding halls. They arrived back in the foyer, their bags awaiting them at the door. “I figured you wouldn’t want to separate again.” Miho kept her gaze low, her cheeks flushed with pink.

“Thank you,” Makoto said, placing his hand on her back. “You’ve been a big help tonight.”

She smiled and walked them out of the door. “I can enchant your car to take you to the nearest gas station,” she said, waving her arms in the air. Their van roared back into gear and she smiled. “I suggest you boys go home and sleep, especially after tonight.”

“We will,” Rin said, climbing into the running van, his fingers pressed to his temples.

Nagisa was ready to climb into the driver’s seat when Haru grabbed his arm. “Nagisa, let me drive.”

“Good idea,” he said, laughing. Nagisa climbed into the back seat with Rei, his shoulders hunched.

“Hey, my phone’s working again,” Rin said, leaning over the seat to grab his phone. “And we have about 20 missed calls from Gou. Great.” He slumped into his seat and dialed her number.

Makoto smiled and waved goodbye to Miho before he shut the van door. As they descended the hill in real time, he leaned his head back and started to drift off, Rin and Gou’s agreement surprisingly not enough to keep him awake. Hopefully, he could write off the whole experience as just a dream. Hopefully…


End file.
